Wait Until Dark
by MagickyMuffin
Summary: The secret lives of the four animatronics, told in our pirate friend's point of view.


There is a very distinctive difference between man and machine. It's not the flesh and bones compared to metal endoskeletons and simple fur suits. It's not the fact that they created us and can control us to their heart's desire. No, the main difference between us is that if we make a mistake, we don't get a second chance. Instead, our brains and bodies are altered so that we no longer function the way we used to. They change us because they can't trust us to do better next time.

If we do something bad, we are never forgiven.

Day after day, eight to eight, it was all the same; at least it used to be that way. Power on, tell a few jokes, play a few songs. I myself would stand up on my ship in Pirate's Cove, with crowds of little boys and girls all wanting to see me and join my crew. I would tell them they will become official pirates if they found "me special treasurrrrre." Once the children and parents grow tired of my nautical nonsense and the band's cheesy songs, we are returned to our base positions and powered down for the night. This routine went on for about ten whole years. Before the Bite of '87, of course.

Yes, it must have been ten years, because that day was some sort of holiday for the resturaunt. There was a big celebration going on. I remember it starting like any ordinary day, except the whole building was especially bright and joyful. At 7:30 AM, I and the other animatronics were powered on and tested. They tested our animation cycles and our artificial voices.

"Yar har har, kiddies, welcome to the P-pirate Cove! Arrrg!" My voice box sounded rather harsh and rusty this morning. Could you really blame me? I've been doing this job since 1977; I was bound to sound as old as I looked. Unfortunately the restaurant didn't have enough funds to properly repair my flaws: my tattered red fur, my glitchy voice, and my stiff movements. I also had a tear in my pant leg, but the manager thought I looked more like a pirate that way. Not only that; my tail was hanging down now rather than sticking straight up. But no matter how beat-up and worn-out I was, I was still Captain Foxy to the children.

As soon as the staff were satisfied that I was in good (or decent) condition, they moved on to check on Freddy and the band. As they left I slowly rotated my torso and took a few steps forward to peer out of the purple curtains that lead to the stage room. The first thing I noticed was a huge banner that said:

_Freddy Fazbear's 10th Birthday Bash!_

_1977 - 1987_

Ten years, I reminded myself. Robots don't recognize emotions very well but I knew that doing the same thing for a whole decade was supposed to be a good thing, like a sort of accomplishment. I did not quite comprehend the concept of celebration; I thought feeling old and tired would be bad, but the kids were happy this day, so it must have been good.

I rotated once more to face the stage, a big structure along one wall of the room. This is where Freddy's band played every day, looking over the army of recently cleaned tables and chairs. The curtains covered it so I couldn't see the other animatronics, but I could hear the whizzing and humming of robotic parts and their voices raised up one by one.

"He-he-hey kids! Who wants p-pizza?" Huh, Freddy didn't normally glitch and stutter. Perhaps the old bear was feeling his age just as I was.

"Hello boys and g-girls! Are you ready to have some fun?" That was the soft, feminine voice of Chica.

"I sure am, Chica! Huh-huh-huh! How-ho-how 'bout you, Freddy?" The guitarist of the band, Bonnie. It seemed all three were in good shape, despite minor glitching.

Suddenly, the whole room lit up. The purple curtains lifted up to expose me standing up on the boat in Pirate Cove. From up here I could look down at the kids from a safe distance. Back then we were allowed to roam around the building at special times with a human escort, (I remember those days fondly) but the majority of my time was still spent on my little ship. On this day, being a celebration, I was bound to be able to roam.

Little did I know it would be my last.


End file.
